Salvation 2035

Chapter 29- Remnants

『Abel』

     We're halfway there. Actually, a little more than halfway. Elpis sent me a message about it. We haven't had time to talk, which is rather unfortunate. I'm never away from my companions, and the times I am, I can't reach her. Well, I'm sure she's busy with her own stuff.

     I hope that our encounters with our pursuers will stop being so intense. Lately, we've been staying as far away from inhabited places as much as we reasonably can. From time to time, we hear helicopters around and have to hide out of their searchlights. Miraculously, every time they've been around, our vehicle was either underground or in an abandoned garage, and we've been able to take cover. The thing is, they're suspicious of where we could be. They've picked up on the fact that we've been in a lot of motels, and as a result, there have been pictures of the car we stole posted around. It's incredibly odd, though. They could very easily dig up either me or Tsuki's mugshot on a 'wanted' poster, but rather, they only put a sign that said 'have you seen this car? Please contact your local authorities' written on it. Well, obviously, it's a stolen car and the owner is probably quite mad about their vehicle going missing, But it seems like they're almost trying to conceal the fact that they're actually looking for us.

     I know that because of the squeaky-clean image the state wants to portray, they tend to not always report on escaped prisoners. Looking back, I know they certainly did, but it was only ever on a local level. Those people's crimes were even listed. But for us, it's different. Is it because Tsuki was arrested so young and without a proper trial, so they feel somewhat remorseful? Do they think that the public wouldn't be able to get behind it? I know I was off the hook, but now that I've become an accessory I'm sure it's likely to change.

     I suppose there's not much use worrying about it. It's best if I keep my eyes on the end goal rather than stressing about these issues right now. We're being chased, and we need to run- that's all there is to it.

     It's afternoon. The city we've come to is abandoned and has been for some time. It never even got finished, by the looks of it. Skeletons of apartments line the streets, and nature has reclaimed quite a bit of this place. Leaves and vines wind around the steel beams, and occasionally, I spot a few squirrels running about. There's something so uncanny and marvellous about the marriage between industry and nature. I know that there were once people living here, evacuated because of a bomb threat or something like that. It's devastatingly sad, of course, but this place isn't lonely. We took from nature, and in return, nature took back from us. I used to think that one day every inch of this country will be covered with metal, concrete, and glass. Seeing the way this nameless city has become makes me a little hopeful, although I suppose it's a little twisted for me to admire a place that used to be someone's home.

     Despite it being four years since the Third War ended, this place still looks eerily lived-in. There are cars still littered about in the streets- something I'm sure both Tsuki and Keisha would be interested in. Miscellaneous objects such as shopping carts, furniture, and sporting equipment are strewn about as well, making it very apparent that whoever lived here left in a hurry.

     It's no trouble finding an abandoned house in the suburban area to rest at. The one we've chosen is nothing particularly special, and there's hardly anything worth mentioning about it. It's just a two-storey house with a kitchen, dining room, living room, three washrooms, three bedrooms, and a basement. We unload our bags and settle in.

     "Since there's plenty of cars out there, we shouldn't have any trouble finding a replacement," Keisha rummages around in one of her bags for a second, "here."